It didn’t take an oversized check for a Ridge group to say thanks to Les Olinger and the Friends of the Sawmill Peak Fire Lookout. It was just a normal-sized check, but the $10,000 amount was something to get excited about.

The money was raised by the Bare on the Ridge fundraising group which started in Feb of 2006 and adopted Sawmill Peak as its fundraising focus. Olinger, who heads the Friends of the Sawmill Peak Fire Lookout, said it costs about $24,000 to keep the lookout open for three months. He said Friends of the Sawmill Peak Fire Lookout has about $26,000 in its coffers, which means next the lookout will be staffed for Summer 2009. And that is the goal he said.

“We want to stay a year ahead or have extra money in case something happens,” he said.

While the state pulled funding for the lookout a few years ago because of budget cuts, Olinger said this year the state manned the lookout because of the Humboldt and Lightning fires that threatened the Ridge. CAL FIRE Battalion Chief Scott Lindgren said the state can man the lookout during any Red Flag event, which lasted throughout the summer because of the fires.

“We really appreciate the hard work of everybody in tight budget times,” he said. “(Manning the lookout) was effective in helping us during the fire siege. We had people up there watching our backs, telling us where the hot spots were and how to get to them.”

Since the state took care of this year’s costs, Olinger didn’t have to dip into donated funds, which helped bump up the amount that can be used for next year. Olinger added that all the money earned goes into a local account because if it was in the state’s coffers, the state may decide to use it for something else.

He said when it is time to man the lookouts again, Olinger will write a check to CAL FIRE and all the money goes toward the lookout. Bonnie Weber, president of Bare on the Ridge, said the group hosted different functions like a fashion show and yard sales to raise the money. Another money maker is the Bare on the Ridge cookbook, compiled by members and sold at local stores, she said. Additional donations came from community organizations like the Paradise Community Foundation, the Cruisin’ Classics Car Club and others. Individuals also sent in donations and there are “jars all over town,” Olinger said. ***

As a side note, Lindgren said Sawmill Peak, which was vandalized October has been repaired and equipment replaced. He said the repairs cost about $3,000 to $4,000, which included replacing two radios, which cost about $1,000 a piece. Olinger is making plans to help make the lookout more secure from vandalism and theft.